Tobacco harvesters



March 26, 1957 Filed July 8, 1954 w. E. DAVIS ET AL TOBACCO HARVESTERS 4Sheets-Sheet 1 I NVENT OR ATTORNEYS March 26, 1957 w. E. DAVIS ET ALTOBACCO HARVESTERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 8, 1954 fmp w lsbINVENTORS Wi Hiom E. Davis Alton Scot? Oliver W. Scott BY "7m =1, Nag

FIG. 2.

ATTORNEYS March 26, 1957 w. E. DAVIS ET AL 2,786,585

TOBACCO HARVESTERS Filed July 8, 1954 4 Sheeis-Sheet 3 50 INVENTORSWilhan E. DGVIS Afton Scoff BY Oliver W. Scott ATTORNEYS March 26, 1957w. E. DAVIS ET AL TOBACCO HARVESTERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 8, 1954INVENTOR WILL/AM E. DAV/S, ALTON SCOTT oLn/EK w scan j j/ q ATTORNEYSUnited States Patent" 2,786,585 TOBACCO HARVESTERS William E. Davis', sven Springs, and Alton Scott and Oliver W. Scott, Southern Pines, N; C.;said Alton Scott and said- OliverW. Scottassignoirs to said William E.Davis Applicationjuly 8, 1954, Serial No; 444,881

Claims. (Cl. 2145.5)

The present invention relates to a tobacco harvester and moreparticularly to an apparatus for facilitating the picking of tobaccoleaves and their preparation previous to drying, and is acontinuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 355,791 forTobacco Harvester filed May 18, 1953, which matured intoU. S. Patent No.2,715,968 granted August 23, 1955, incorporated herein by reference.

In the harvesting of tobacco it is desirable to pick the ripening leavesfrom the standing tobacco plant, tie them in bundles of three to fiveleaves, and drape twenty to thiry bundles over a long stick which isusedto hang the leaves in the drying barn. Formerly this has been doneby using a large number of workers called primers who walk between therows of tobacco, picking the ripe leaves with one hand and placing themunder their other arm. When a primer has accumulated an armful ofleaves, he must carry them to a tobacco truck which may be situatedseveral rows away. When the truck is full it is moved to another areaWhere other workers called handers select small bundles of about fiveleaves with their stems bunched together, which they hand to still otherWorkers called loopers who the the stems of the several leaves togetherand drape the resulting bundles over the drying stick' on alternatesides thereof. The disadvantages of this method are that the leaves arethrown together in a pile and handled many' times, resulting in thedeterioration of the leaves, it is very slow and costly because thepicking, handing and tying operations necessarily comprise work thatinvolves hard. labor by many men. The present invention, however,obviates the diflic-ulties experienced in the past in a novel manner.

It is an object of'tlie present invention toprovide an apparatus forfacilitating tobacco operations prior to the d y It is an object of thepresent invention to-provide a mobile apparatus which-may be movedbetwcen'the rows of tobacco plants for preparing tobacco for the dryingoperation.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus whichcan be moved between rows of tobacco plants for carrying thetobacco leafprimersand facilitating their Work ofpicking, and automaticallybundling, looping and-mounting the tobacco leaveson'a drying stick.

It is a further objectof'the instant'invention to provide an apparatusfor tying tobacco leaves in bundles and mounting the bundles on anelongated stick, many of which can be carried on the apparatus. I

Another object of the'invention is theprovision' of a novel mechanismfor grasping and/or tying a plurality of tobacco leaves together attheir stalks.

The above patent discloses a more automatic form of the invention andreferenceis made thereto for d e tails of structure and operation'whichthereforeneed not be repeated here at length save as may be desirable toexplain certain improvements in'that more fully automatic'formcomprisihg'the'addition ofwheels or'equiva' 2,786,585 l iatented Mar.26, 1 957 2 lent means at the point of insert-ion ofa buridle of tobaccoleaves to facilitate entry thereof auto matic looper mechanism underconditions of relatively heavy gummin'g. V A

The invention may be best understood rare :to certain of its structuralforms, semen-w ich a illustrated in theaccompa'nying clra'wirigsin w i'z Figure 1 is .a front elevation'of one'fbrnroflth'e invention, withparts oinittedfor s'akeof clarity. F

Figure 1A is a plan view of the" struetureshdvvh in Figure 1'. n

Figure 2- is a side elevation of theappa'ra tusof 1, with other partsomittedforisake of clarity.

Figure 2A is a fragmentary detail of oneform'of'cbnveyor chain withspring pressed clips attached.

Figure 3 is .a t-ra'gmentar'y view of the conveyor drive.

Figure 4 is a top view of the combined handing" aiid loo-ping portion ofthe invention with portions broken away for clarity and to show thewheels 200whi'ch overcome gumming. I

Figure 5 is a bottom view of the mechanism shown in Figure 4, with theneedle in.

Figure SA is a fragmentary viewsir'nilar" to Figure 5 with the needleretracted and ready to receive a new load of tobacco. v

Figure 5B is a fragmentary plan View of an" adaptation of certain of theelements of Figures 4, 5 and 5A to a modified form of the invention.

I Figure 5C is a fragmentary elevation of aportion" of Figure 5B.

Like reference characters denote like parts in" the several figures ofthe drawings herein as Well as in the above patent, which are presentedas illustrativeonly of certain schematic forms the invention may takeand though preferred they are not to be taken as limiting:

The invention comprises a tractor framework providing seats for two,three, four or more pirmers-who ride with legs outstretchedveryclose tothe ground level and within easy reach of the tobacco or other rowplants which are being harvested. Although adaptable to other row crops,with or without desirableor necessary changes, the invention is intendedprimarily for the harvest of tobacco and it is in this held of use thatthe advantages of theinventi'on in thefo rm illustratedare a'rnaximurniv As the tractor moves along at /s to A of a rn'ilean hour; the primerselect and strip the lowjer ripe leaves from the stalk and bunch four tosix leaves together as a hand and in'sertth e bunched stems in a loopingniecha nisrn" which is adjacent" an upwardly sloping carryingchaina'sf'shown in 'more detail inthe'above'basic patent.Theiooping'mechanism forms a'continuoiis chain stitch of binding twinewith the stems of each hand tightly grasp'ed'ineach'loop as shown inFigures 4 and 5A.; The looped h'ands are draped over the carryingchainsuc; cessively on alternate sides thereof with the bunched stems upand the leaves hanging down freelof the mecha nism. The alternatedraping is accomplished by a defiector plate'pivoted to the apparatusarid moved back andfo'rth to and from alternate'positi-oiisby,a suitablelinkage controlled y the looping mechanism the ope r ation'off which isintermittently'ini'tiatedby' the inse'r n of a'h'a'nd of tobaccotherein. In general eachiloop g mechanism can handle the tobacco handsgametes .fby' one, two or more primers, and although the drawingshows alooper mechanism on each side, each 'servingfa. singleprimer,thein'ventiou isnot liniited in this regard as a single l-ooper can bereadily positioned to'be rached by two primers sitting side by side'orslightly offset to harvest adjacent'rows'. Where primers are seated onebe hindth eoth'er, two looper mechanisms will normally be required,onefor each primer as both cannot reach the same lo'operl As the chaincarrying the draped tobacco rises to the platform the alternate handsare spread by a guide carried by the frame so as to permit the handswhich are chain stitched together to hang down alternately on each sideof a tobacco stick positioned to receive them. When a stick is 'full thetwine is cut between loops, locked taut, and the loaded stick is storedtemporarily on a suitable rack at the rear of the platform.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, the apparatus of the invention,indicated generally by the reference character 10, is shown having atricycle tractor 11. This tractor comprises a motorized large wheel 12mounted centrally of the forward portion and two small wheels 13 at therear. These small wheels 13 are each mounted on a vertical tubularmember 14, the tubular members being jointed in their upper portions bycross members 15. Tubular longitudinal members 16 extend forwardly fromthe junctions of the vertical members 14 and the cross member 15, in ahorizontal plane and more or less parallel to one another. Intermediateof the length of the tractor these members 16 are bent downwardly andthey are also bent inwardly and joined together above the wheel 12. Avertical wheel mount 17 extends downwardly from this junction to thewheel 12 and the wheel 12 is rotatably mounted on its lower end. Betweenthe members 16 and their rearward horizontal portions is mounted aplatform 18 extending from side to side of the tractor. Some of themembers of the tractor are not shown in Figure 1 for purposes of clarityof presentation. Also mounted between the members 16 and their forwardportion is a platform 19 on which an engine 20 is mounted, movable as aunit with wheel 12. In this same area is mounted a drivers seat 21 and asteering wheel 22 operatively connected to the wheel 12 which in turn isdriven by the engine 20 through a conventional driving means 23.

A tubular bar 24 extends transversely across the forward portion of thetractor, and is removably secured to the tractor in its central portion.At the ends it is bent downwardly to form vertical portions 25 which arefitted at their lower ends into sockets 26 which are integral withtubular side members 27. The position of the vertical portion 25 and thesocket 26 is adjustable vertically by means of set screws 28. Each ofthe side members 27 is composed of a forward horizontal portion 29 tothe front end of which is attached the socket 26. At the rearward end ofthe portion 29 is mounted a side member which consists of a rearwardlyinclined portion 30, the rearward end of which merges adjacent thecenter of the tractor with a rearward horizontal portion 31. Therearward end of the portion 31 merges into a vertical portion 32 at thetop of which the side member is forwardly bent to form an inclinedportion 33. The upper portion of the vertical portion 32 of the sidemember 27 is connected to the upper portion of its respective tubularmember 14 by a massive plate 34. Each side member 27 is provided at therearward portion of the horizontal portion 31 with at least one seat 35for the tobacco picker or primer and the lower part of the verticalportion 32 is provided with a back rest 36 furnishing him with a backsupport. A foot rest 37 is provided on each side mem- 'ber for the feetof the leaf picker.

On each of the side members 27 is mounted one or more leaf handlingmechanisms 38 attached to the side member by straps such as 40 and aconnection with inclined portion 33.

Figure 2 shows the general arrangement of a simple form of the inventionemploying clips with some hands in position on conveyor chain 50 andothers omitted for clarity. A frame 44 formed of angles and flats weldedtogether to form a generally rectangular configuration supports conveyorchain 50. At the forward and upper portion of handling mechanism 38 maybe positioned a supply of tobacco sticks 43 if desired. Sticks 43 areomitted from Figure 2, but are shown as optional equipment in Figure 3arranged longitudinally in a chamber formed by said angles and flats,supported by the frame and open at the top. The supply of sticks 43 maybe positioned loosely in the chamber or suspended therein and maintainedin the topmost portion thereof by means of straps 45 having detentedbuckles 46 which permit the adjustment of loops in which the sticks lie.Mounted about the periphery of frame 44 are sprockets 47, 48, 49 and 62around which is arranged a link belt 53 of the usual type and havingspring pressed clips 199 extending laterally therefrom at intervals andconstructed as explained below.

At the rearward portion of the mechanism 38 and firmly attached to theinclined portion 33 of the side member is an electric motor 55 mountedon a transverse mounting or housing 52. Housing 52 also mounts bevelgear 56 driven by motor 55 and mating with bevel gear 57 on the end ofconveyor belt drive shaft 58. On the opposite end of drive shaft 58 is aworm 59 which engages spur gear 66 on stub shaft 61 which also carriessprocket 47 through which power is supplied to drive conveyor chain 50.An electric motor 55 offers a large degree of control and is preferredto a conveyor chain drive powered directly by the main power plant 29 ora drive off one of the tractor wheels. Where the conveyor chain isdriven by an electric motor 55 the speed of the chain can 'be adjustedto suit the amount of ripe tobacco being harvested at a given tractorspeed and the chain can be slowed down or stopped if necessary toprevent recycling of harvested bundles held by the clips 199 which thelooper operator lacks the time to remove from the chain. Sprocket 47 maybe driven by a suitable power takeoff such as a chain drive from onerear wheel 13 if desired. The other sprockets 48, 49 and 62 are idlersprockets. Sprocket 62 is mounted on post 67 forming the lower end ofleaf bundling mechanism 38 and is positioned so as to place the end ofconveyor chain 50 Within easy reach of adjustable leaf picker seat 35.Post 67 both supports sprocket 62 and serves as a protection to theoperator from the moving chain 50, the mount for sprocket 62 servingalso to cover the approach of link belt 50 to the sprocket. A guardshield 210 may also be supplied if desired to assure that the suspendedbundles are not disturbed in their passage upward from a point adjacentthe seat 35 to a position above the platform 18 by movement of theharvester along the plant rows.

Reference is now made to an improved form of the more fully automaticmachine disclosed and broadly claimed in U. S. Patent No. 2,715,968.Only so much of the structure of the automatic looping mechanism isretained as is necessary to make clear the construction and operation ofFigures 4 and 5 with the incorporation of the wheels 204) mounted onguide arms 7 8 and 79 to facilitate harvesting under conditions of moreor less heavy gum ming. For a more complete discussion see thespecification and drawings of the above patent which are incorporatedherein by reference.

Figures 4 and 5 show in detail the construction of the timing mechanism41 and automatic looping devices with the improved leaf bundle insertionmeans for gumming conditions. In particular Figure 4, which is a planview of the mechanism, shows the arrangement of the housing portion 52and the underlying longitudinal housings S3 and 54. It can be seen thatcurved guide members 78 and 79 are mounted at the upper portions of thehousings 53 and 54, respectively, and are limited in their movement byslot and screw means. A strand 80 of twine originating in the supply 42can be seen entering the mechanism between the guide members 78 and 79.The shaft 31 of the motor is mounted in the housing portion 52 and haskeyed thereto a pulley 82. A shaft 83 is mounted vertically in the outerend of the housing portion 52. and the forward end of the longitudinalhousing 53. A sprocket 87 fastened to the underside of the pulley 84drives a sprocket 88 journaled on the shaft 86. Since the sprocketsSS.and 87 and. thepulley 84 are journaled on their respective shafts. themotor 55 and'its drive shaft 81 drive the pulley 84 and the sprocketSSthrough the belt 84 without movingthe shafts 83 and 86.] Sprocket 88 isprovided. with a series, of pinsor lugs extending upwardly fromits,uppersurface and grouped concentrically about the shaft 86.A1col-lar.90.- is keyed to the shaft 86 and on this collaris secured, afinger 91; which extends outwardly a sufiicient distance to be engagedby the pins 89. Thisfin-ger 91Iiscapableof having, its outer. end raisedabove the tops of .the pins 89, but which is normally maintained in alower position where, it can be engagedby the pins89 by aspring 92. onavertical pin 93 ispivotly mounted a. cam.-finger.-9'4 whose. outer endis curved to conformto the circle. of pins 89. Thisv finger 94 normallyremains outside the circle of pins 89'and is movabletoward and away fromthat circle. The finger 94 is connected to and movableby means of asolenoid 95 The upper edge of thecurved. portionofuthefinger 94, whichmay best be seeninFigut-e 6,.slopes upwardly from the outer end so thatthe outer endof the finger91 in moving with the-pins89 will ride alongthis upper surface and beraised above thetops of the pins. However,the'length of the finger 91 is such that'it will cam. along the curvedsurface of the finger 94 only when that finger is adjacentxthe circle ofpins 89. When the finger. 94 is moved 'by the solenoid 95.:to a positionaway from the circle of pins 89 the pin 91 lies beneath the. level ofthe tops of the pins 89 and will be carried around with the movement ofthe sprocket 88.

Referring next to Figure 5, which shows :thcunderside of the tying orlooping mechanism 41, it should be remembered nowthat the shafts 83and'86 and the longitudinal housings 53 and 54 have reversed places in.the illustration when compared. witht'the illustrationshown in Figure4.. A sprocket 97 is keyed to the bottomend of the shaftiiia and, drivesa sprocket chain 98. The sprocket chain in turn drives a sprocket99iwhich -is keyed to the lower end of a'vertical'stu'b shaft 100, whichis mounted in bearings at-therearwardend of the longitudinalhousing 54.Keyed or otherwise fastened to the upper end of the, shaft 100 is abobbin ltllwhich-is an S-shaped element-with the ends: tapered topoints. Onthe lower end of. the shaft 36*is mounted a-wheel 102 having apin 163 mounted at its periphery and extending downwardly therefrom.Pivotly mountedon this pin 103 is a-connectingrod 104; The outerendis'connected to-a needle 105-. T l e-needle isa member formed of flatmaterial, and-is somewhat curved in :shapein the form of asemi-crescent. In other words, it-isnarrow at oneend and ratherrlarge atthe other end.- At the narrow olfipointedend the needle isprovided'withan aperture or eye 1% and it is pivoted atthe other end toa vertical pin 107 for, swinging in a horizontal plane.An:actuatingconnecting;-rodz104 is connected to the needleltES atthe:large end, js-omejdistance from the-pivot .pin10'l'.

A hub 108 extending upwardly from the upper-surface of the sprocket: 97is substantially:cylindrical but has one flat side 109. A flat spring110 iszbolteddo the-housing 4Yand has one free end "resiliently pressedagainst the hub 108-at all'tirnes. A switchlll; having an actuatingfinger 112.. isfastened :to the housing 54 adjacent: the sprocket 97with the actuating finger 112 resiliently'biased against-the spring 119.The switch: 111, the springillt) and-the hub 108 are so arranged thatwhen the spring fill/contacts the cylind-rical portionof thehub 198 theswitch isclosed, but when the's-pring 110 rests against the fiatside N9of the hub108, the switch will be open. The switch 111 is alsoprovidedwith another spring biased actuating .finger 113 which. extendsin the opposite direction from the actuating finger 112 for a purpose tohe explained. The guidejmem'ber 78 is keyed at its forward end to..astubshaft114, about theaxisof. which it ispermittedto rotate inwardlyand outwardly. Thelo-wer end of-the shaft 114 has attached thereto-acrank arm 115, the outer end of which is attached to a spring 116. Theother end of the spring 115 is attached to the housing 53, sothat-theguide member 78 is biased inwardly at all times by the spring116. Theguide member 79 is pivoted in a similar manner on a stubshaft 117 havinga crank arm 118 which is connected to a spring 119 fastened to the frame54 so that the guide member 79 is biased to an inward position. However,the crank arm 113 is pro vided with a contactor element 120whoseposition relative to the cranksarrn 11 8 is adjustable by screwmeans. The contactor. element is adapted topress against the actuatingfinger 113 when the guide'menrber is in its outer position; toopen theswitch 111. The switch 111 is connected in. serieswith the coil of thesolenoid 95Iand serves to determine whether the arm 94 is in an inner orouter position relative to the circle of pins 89. The. solenoid 95 isconnected to an electric battery, not shown, and, when the switch 111 isclosed, current passes through the solenoid 95 andv moves the arm 94 toan outer position. Of course when the switch 111 is open the finger 94is biased to a position adjacent to pins 89.

It should be noted that for some conditions the guide members 78 and 79may have plain curved edges which separate against spring action ontheinsertion-of a hand of tobacco to receive the bunched stems in aresilient'mam ner; trip the looping mechanism for tying and'also advancethe chains carrying the hands toward the tobacco sticks. Where however asubstantial amount of gum is present, the tobacco sticks to the curvededges of guide members 78 and 79 and offers enough resistancetoinsertion of the hands to slowdown the primer and also be very tiringafter arelatively short. time. The wheels 200-are rotatably mounted onthe guide members 78 and 79and con vertthe sliding action of thegummystems on-the curved guides 78 and 79 to a rolling action. Thewheels200 move bodily'with the guides 78 and 79 and cooperate therewith'tohold the stems against the resilient action of the taut twine during thelooping process.- The diameter of the wheels 200and their breadth are sochosen to'reduce resistance toa desirable minimum, avoid undue pinchingor cutting of the stems and to hold themfirrnly in the proper positionfor looping. While separate resilient mountings may be provided for thebearings of wheels 200 on guides 78 and 79, it is preferred-to providefixed journals as shown and rely upon the spring biased pivoting actionof the guide members themselves.

The operation of the apparatus-of'the more fully auto.- matic form-ofthe invention will now be understood-in view of/the above description.The driver may sit in-the seat 21, but usually stands on theplatfornrand adjusts the steering ofthe apparatus by means of'the-wheel2 2 from time totime; The tobacco leaf pickers or primers-sit in theseats 35-with-their feet on the foot rests 37. The tobacco plants areplanted in rows of such width that-the large forward wheel 12 may passbetweentwo rows and the small-rearwheels 13'will, pass on the outsideofth'e two rows of plants from which the leaves are being picked. Thevehicle is moved by the engine 20 driving the wheel 12.through. suitablemeans such as the drivingmeans Z3. Itv will be noted that the motor andfront wheel 12 are mounted as an independent unit. Inaddition toadvantages of cost, this construction provides stability of operationland-very short turning radius. The construction permits .alighter'frame because the pulling action of the drive unit eliminatesany tendency of the machine to walk in loose soil as would occur if thedrive is made through the rear wheels bymeans of differentialtge'aring.Suchrear'wheel drives tend to push-the machine forward oneside at a timeas each drive wheel finds :an independent footing in. the loose soil.Such action not only warps the frame unless it is made very rigid andtherefore heavy, but of far greater importance requires greatlyincreased and.v insome cases almost constant attention to steering. Thefront driveconstruction-has the great importance that it frees thedriver so that he has time to remove the loaded tobacco sticks and storethem on the racks at the rear of the platform.

The apparatus with which each of the leaf pickers is working in the formillustrated is independent of the similar apparatus with which the otherleaf picker is working. As the primers accumulate a bundle of tobaccoleaves, the number depending on how ripe the tobacco is, they theninsert the bundle or hand with stems uppermost between the wheels 200mounted on guide members 78 and 79 and into the tying mechanism 41 whereit is pressed against the twine. The tying mechanism ties the stems ofthe bundle tightly together with twine, using a chain stitch, and thebundle hangs on the link belt 50 with all of the leaves of one bundlehanging down on one side and the next bundle hanging down on the otherside. The bundle is moved along under the action of the link belt 50 asit moves forward and also because the twine or string which ties thebundle together it still connected with the portion which was used totie the preceding bundles together. The bundles of tobacco leaves moveforwardly and upwardly until they reach the uppermost position wherethey are prevented from going any further by the frame of the mechanism38. In this uppermost position the bundles are spread and straddle thesupply of sticks 43. When a sufiicient number of tobacco leaves havearrived at that position, which number, as will be explainedhereinafter, is dependent on the amount of movement of the chain 50, thebell 64 will ring, warning the driver of this fact. This occurs becausethe elongated pins 51 extending from the chain 50 are so spaced as tobring about this timing. The pins cause the switch 65 to close by meansof the trigger mechanism 66 being engaged by pins 51 and the bell 64rings. See Figures 2, 3 and 6 of the said patent for additional detailshowing of the above construction. The driver then reaches over and cutsthe string between the lowermost bundle of tobacco leaves whichstraddles the supply of sticks 43. He then lifts the topmost stick, andhe places the stick with its dependent leaves on the rack mounted onplatform 18, or on a trailer pulled behind, Where such sticks and leavesaccumulate until a sufficient load is obtained to warrant their beingcarried to the drying barn or some similar station. The motor 55 whichis connected to the battery of the engine 20, operates continuously, butthe apparatus is so arranged that the other operations which take placewithin the mechanism 38, keep in step with the speed of the leaf pickerin accumulating bundles. As a matter of fact, the cycle of tying thebundle of leaves and moving it upwardly to its position above the supplyof sticks 43, is set in motion by the picker when he introduces thebundle between the guide members 78 and 79. The shaft 81 of the motor 55drives the pulley 84 through the belt 85. Since the pulley 84 isjournaled on the bearing 83, but not keyed thereto, the shaft 83 doesnot turn the pulley 84. The sprocket 87 however is directly connected tothe pulley 84, although in Figure 6 it is shown separated from thepulley 84 for purposes of clarity and therefore the sprocket 88 iscontinuously driven through the sprocket chain 96. Since the sprocket 88is continuously driven so long as the finger 91 is in a position belowthe level of the tops of the pins 89, it will be carried by the pins,thus driving the collar 90, which in turn drives the shaft 86. When theshaft 86 is driven it, in turn, drives the shaft 83 through thesprockets and sprocket chain connecting the two. When the shaft 83 isdriven it in turn drives the stub shaft 100 through the medium of thesprockets 97 and 99 and the sprocket chain 98. The driving of the shaft100 of course rotates the bobbin 101. The shaft 36, when driven, carriesthe pin on the Wheel 102 in a circle about the axis of the shaft 86,carrying with it the connecting rod 104, which, as a result, has areciprocatory action imparted thereto. This action moves the needle 105about its axis pin 107, so that the narrow end of the needle having theaperture 106 is moved in a wide arc in a reciprocatory manner. It can beseen that the bobbin 101 and the needle are actuated only when thefinger 91 is in contact with the pins 89. At certain times it is notdesirable to have these members driven and this may be accomplished byactuating the solenoid 95 in such a manner that the finger 94 is in itsinward position against the circle of pins 89 so that the finger 91 islifted and does not contact the pins 89. The finger is carried around ina circle by the sprocket 88 and the pins 89, and, when the outer end ofthe pin 91 strikes the upper surface of the finger 94, it is carriedupwardly above the pins 89. When the pin 91 clears the tops of the pins89 it is no longer driven thereby and remains in that position restingon the upper surface of the finger 94 and is returned to its positionbelow the tops of the pins 89, where it may be engaged and driven by apin 89, only when the finger 94 is retracted and the pin is allowed todrop. When the leaf picker or primer introduces the bundle of tobaccoleaves between the members 78 and 79, with or without the wheels 200mounted thereon, they are forced outwardly about their pivots 114 and117 against the resilient biasing action of their springs 116 and 119.When the guide member 79 is moved its crank arm 118 is moved toward theswitch 111 so that its contactor 120 strikes the actuating finger 113 ofthe switch 111. This opens the switch 111, thus cutting oh the currentto the coil of the solenoid 95 and permitting the finger 94 to be biasedaway from the circle of pins 89. This permits the pin 91 to drop betweenthe pins 89 so that the shaft 86 is driven and the bobbin and needle gothrough their cycle.

When the shaft 83 is rotated the hub 108 is also rotated so that thespring follows the shape thereof and falls at least once during eachrotation into the flat side 109. When the spring 110 falls into the fiatside 109 the actuating finger 112 of the switch 111 is resilientlybiased into an outward position so that the switch 111 is closed and thesolenoid 95 is actuated so that the finger 94 is in an outward positionwhere it does not lift the finger 91 away from engagement with a pin 89.The result of the foregoing is that while the leaf picker isaccumulating a bundle of leaves the machinery is at rest, with thesprocket 88 rotating, but not driving the shaft 86 or the shaft 83. Inthis condition the pin 99 rests on the upper surface of the finger 94,which is in its inward position adjacent the circle of pins 89. When thepicker introduces the bundle of leaves between members 78 and 79, thesolenoid is actuated so that the finger 94 moves away from the pins 89and the pin 91 drops between the pins 89, and comes into contacttherewith, so that the shafts 86 and 83 are driven. The tying cycle ofthe bobbin and needle is also begun. However, when the shaft 83 has beenrotated through almost a complete rotation thus producing a completerotation of the needle and bobbin, the flat side 109 comes in contactwith the spring 110, so that by means of switch 119 the solenoid isdeactivated and the finger 94 returns to its position adjacent the pincircle. Pin 91 is then disconnected from pins 89 and the needle andbobbin again come to rest.

During the cycle thus described, two other things are happening. First,the chain 51 is being driven, and secondly, the shield 77 is moved.During the single rotation of the shaft 86 the pinion 56 is rotated,thus rotating the pinion 57, the drive shaft 58, the worm 59, the spur60, and the stub shaft 61, and the sprocket 47. The driving of thesprocket 47 of course moves the link belt 50 a short distance. Thesingle rotation of the shaft 83, which takes place during a cycle, alsomoves the pin 76 through a single cycle. This means that the connectingrod 75 goes through one reciprocation moving the harness member 73 aboutits pivot pin 74. The movement of the lower motion causes the spring 71to pivot about its collar 72. The free end bearing the pin 70 partakingof a motion longitudinally of the apparatus and engaging a cusp of thecam 69 and drawing it rearwardly. This rotates the shaft 67 and movesthe shield 77 from a position where it covers the bobbin and needlemechanism to a position where it doesnot cover-this mechanism and thenreturns it again to its initial position. That is to say, the leafpicker in moving the bundle of leaves between number 78and' 79 starts acycle of the shield 77, whereby the shield is moved' away so that thebundle can enter the mechanism and then it is returned s'o that'the'leafpicker cannot insert his hands or other parts of-his' body into themechanism. At the'beginning of a cycle theshield'77' is again'cover ingthe mechanism and the outer cusp of the cam 69' is in theforward'posi'tion' and'the pin 70 and its sp'rir'igmember 71 a're in arearwardpositiion. When the cycleis begunthe' member 79is drawnforwardly pulling theouteicusp"forwardly;rotating theshield away fromthe mechanism As the cycle continues, the'pinf70' engages theotherinside cusp ofth'ecarn'and drives it forwardly, thus returning-theshield 77 to its position covering themechanism.

As isevident from the relative sizes'of-the'sprocke't wheels, the shafts83, 86 afid 100 rotatat the same rate. This means that the bobbin 101'rotates once for'every in and out cycle ofthe ne'edle'105. The mannerinwhich the'bu ndle s'of tobacco leaves aretied together can be seen bestin Figures 5 and 5A. An individual bundle of leaves enters the apparatusWhere it is pressed by wheels 200 and guide members 78 and 79'againstthe twine 50 which'is held taut by thete'nsion mechanism and the needle1 3 which is in its retracted position away from the bobbin 1 01 Whenthe'bundle is well into the apparatus the single cycle of needle andbobbin rotation has started. The needle proceeds across'the back of thebundle of stems" and" carries with it a loop of string. This'loop isengaged by the next horn of the bobbin 101 to' come along. Once the loophas beenengaged by the horn of the bobbin l0 li'the'needle'lo5 moves toits'retracted position again, slidingalong the string and' leaving'aloop behind. The loop is held bythehorn' of the bobbin and then thebobbin begins to movethat loop to a position on the other side of thebobbin; This tightens up'all' loops and knots that have gone before'in'previous cycles. The bobbin holds the loop spread apart in this farposition until the next bundle of leaves enters. At that time the'needle105' again proceeds across the back of the bundle of leaves, carryinganother loopalong; This'loop is passed'through the firstformed spreadloop and picked up by the other horn of the bobbin. The bobbin meanwhilereleases" the firstformed' loop as it rotates. It can be seen then thatwhen the hordofthebobbifr icks up the second loop and carries it to itsfar position theresult isthat the first loop is tightened up and in thatway the bundles of leaves are held together by a series xof'l'oops onelooped within the other, "and drawn tight: Asisevide'nt in: the picture,any looseendsot stringareheldtightly,due to the factfliatall'th'e'"lobps areurawnnpuighr were bobbin; The spreading of the loopis achieved by sliding it back around the wide base portion of thebobbin.

It is obvious that many changes may be made in the form and constructionof the invention without departing from the material spirit thereof.While there has been presented above a particular embodiment of theinvention, now believed to be preferred, many variations will readilysuggest themselves in the light of the above disclosure to those skilledin the art. All these different forms which fall within the spirit ofthe invention are intended to be covered by the appended claims whereingeneric terms are employed for the express purpose of including the manyequivalent structures by which the present results or part of them canbe obtained.

Among the many such variant structures and combinations, the followingare suggested as representative.

Although the low seating arrangement on each side with the primersadjacent the base of the tobacco plants, the raised platform carryingstacked tobacco sticks and rack means to receive and safely carry loadedsticks and the looper mechanism with the upwardly moving conveyor chaincarrying the looped hands of tobacco from 10 theprimersup to theplatform comprise one formof the invention which is more fullyautomaticthanothers, novel and useful combinations can be made according to the.invention which do not include all the above elements orsub-combinations. For example, if a less expensive harvester is desiredthe looping mechanism as. a subcombination can-be left out and the guidemembers 78 and 79 with their wheels 200-may be attached directly tothelink belt or conveyorchain50r One form of this vvariant is shown inFigures 5B and 5C wherein the wheels 290 are rotatably mounted. onpins201 atthe ends of resilient arms 202. Arms 202 are mounted on link;belt or conveyor chain 50 and urged toward each other by their ownresiliency,- a' tension spring 2tl3 or a combination of both. Thetension spring is a preferred part of the unitbecause its extensibilityhelps holdv the bunched stalks of a hand of tobacco in a resilientmanner similar to the action of the taut twine mentionedsabove whenthehands are-first inserted in the looper mechanism. These resiliently heldhands of tobacco are conveyed upwardly ontheconveyor chain 50, on whichthe arms 202 are mounted by a suitable bracket such as 204, to theraised platform where a Worker called a looper stands and removes thebunched hands from the moving clip means formed and mounted as shown inFigures .SB and 5C. The looper then'loopsthe hands of tobacco manuallyon-the sticks which he places on therack when full. Although thecomplete invention does the work ofboth handers and loopers, theteachings thereof are believed not to be avoided by the elimination ofoneof these components and supplementing the simpler combination bymanual operation. This less comprehensive inventive combination isdeemed to be within thespirit of the invention.

Itfollows that the resiliently pivoted guide means 78 and 79 withrotatable wheels mounted thereon and spring biased'toward each other tohold bunched hands resiliently so they can be conveyedfrom the primersupwardly to the raised platform by a suitable conveyor belt or chain forstorage on sticks placed on suitable racks carried by the machine, formsan inventive sub-combination within thespirit of the invention and isintended to be covered by the claims.-

I claim: I v

l. A tobacco harvester comprising a frame, wheels supporting. saidframe, members secured to said frame in spaced-relationship to eachother, conveyor chains carried by said members, drive means foractuatingsaid chains, a platform secured on top of said frame, saidchains. extending upwardly above said platform; from't-hercbelow,.said:chains having spring pressed clips attachedv theretofor resiliently engaging and carrying tobacco leaves, a plurality ofseats, and means adjustably suspending said seats from said frame inback of said chains.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1, said clips each having at leastone movable arm with relatively movable means adjacent the end thereofto facilitate the insertion and removal of a bundle of leaves into andfrom the clips.

3. A harvester comprising a frame, a forward centrallylocated wheelsupporting said frame, two rearward outwardly-located wheels supportingsaid frame, a motor, means connecting the motor to the forward wheel forthe driving thereof, means connected to the forward wheel for thesteering thereof, a raised platform secured to said frame, a conveyormeans carried by the frame and passing from a position adjacent thelevel of the wheels to a position above the platform, said conveyormeans having tobacco leaf bundle holding clips, each clip having atleast one movable arm and resilient means causing said arm to grasp abundle of tobacco leaves by their stems, said clips being mounted onsaid conveyor means and carried thereby and operable to hold bundles ofleaves of tobacco in depending position on said conveyor means fortransfer as bundles from said position adjacent the level of the wheelsto said position above the platform, means for driving the chain, and aseat fastened to the frame below said platform whereby a leaf pickerseated thereon may pick ripe leaves and place bundles of said leaves independent position on said conveyor means.

4. An apparatus adapted to move along a row of tobacco plants forharvesting the leaves therefrom comprising, an engine for driving theapparatus along a row to be harvested, a frame, a raised platformmounted on said frame for receiving and temporarily storing tobaccoleaves, a movable mechanism for moving bundles of leaves from a positionbelow said platform to a position above said platform and bundle holdingmeans comprising clips distributed along said conveyor means, each cliphaving at least one movable arm member and resilient means causing saidarm member to grasp a bundle of tobacco leaves, said clips being carriedby said movable mechanism for holding bundles of leaves by their stemsin draped depending position on said movable mechanism, said bundleholding means permitting movement of said bundles with respect to saidmovable mechanism under the action of gravity whereby damage toharvested leaves and breaking of the stems thereof are minimized and thebundles are suitably positioned with freedom of movement for the nexthandling step.

5. The combination set forth in claim 4, said clips comprising a holdingsurface, wheel means rotatably mounted on said clips to receive aninserted bundle with rolling action, said resilient means acting to urgesaid arm member and said holding surface toward each other into bundleholding relation.

6. An apparatus adapted to move along a row of leaved plants forharvesting the leaves therefrom comprising, an engine for driving theapparatus along a row to be harvested, a frame, a leaf pickers seatcarried by said frame adjacent the ground, a raised platform mounted onsaid frame for receiving and temporarily storing harvested leaves, amovable mechanism for moving bundles of leaves from a position adjacentsaid seat to a position above said platform and means carried by saidmovable mechanism for holding bundles of leaves by their stems in drapeddepending position on said movable mechanism, said bundle holding meanspermitting movement of said bundles with respect to said movablemechanism under the action of gravity whereby damage to harvested leavesand breaking of the stems thereof are minimized and the bundles aresuitably positioned with freedom of movement for the next handling step,said means carried by said movable mechanism comprising bundle graspingarms and resilient means urging said arms together in grasping positionto carry said bundles to said position above said platform and a wheelmounted for rotation adjacent the outer part of at least 12 one of saidarms to facilitate the insertion of a bundle of leaves.

7. A tobacco harvester comprising a frame, wheels supporting said frame,upwardly extending conveyor chains carried by said frame, drive meansfor actuating said chains, a raised platform secured to the top portionof said frame high enough to clear tobacco plants without breaking thestalks thereof, said chains extending upwardly above said platform fromtherebelow, said chains comprising links for carrying bundled hands oftobacco leaves, a plurality of seats for leaf pickers located on thelower part of said frame, means suspending said seats from said frame inback of said chains, each said conveyor chain being operable to conveybundles of tobacco leaves from a point within easy reach of at least oneof said seats to a point above said platform, certain ones of said linksfor carrying bundled leaves mounting spring pressed clips having atleast one movable arm resiliently urged into bundle grasping and holdingposition, said arms providing means adjacent their ends for the readyinsertion of the stems of a bundle of leaves.

8. A tobacco harvester comprising a frame, wheels supporting said frame,members secured to said frame in spaced relationship to each other,conveyor chains carried by said members, drive means for actuating saidchains, a raised platform secured to said frame, said chains extendingupwardly above said platform from therebelow, said chains having springpressed clips attached thereto for resiliently engaging and carryingtobacco leaves, a plurality of seats, means mounting said seats on saidframe in back of said chains, said spring pressed clips each comprisingat least one movable arm biased by a spring for holding bundles ofleaves by their stems in draped depending position on a conveyor chain,said spring permitting movement of said bundles with respect to one ofsaid conveyor chains under the action of gravity to minimize damage toharvested leaves and to position said bundles suitably with freedom ofmovement for the next handling step, means mounted adjacent the end ofsaid movable arm to facilitate the insertion of a bundle of leaves intosaid clip.

9. The combination set forth in claim 8, said last means beingrelatively movable with respect to said movable arm.

10. The combination set forth in claim 9, said last means comprising awheel pivoted on said movable arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,275,781 Stark et a1 Aug. 13, 1918 2,652,932 Funnell Sept. 22, 19532,672,248 Holliday Mar. 16, 1954 2,715,968 Davis Aug. 23, 1955

